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Greg Grimes

POPC 4240

Jack Santino

28 April 2015

Carnival Studies: Humanization Every Day

The study of carnival and Carnivalesque themes and why we do that develops out of a

general primary human function: the search for information. As an actor, I view the study of

Carnivalesque and carnival as compiling research for any future productions I work on; the

information a person learns may be applied elsewhere in life, and once it is, said person will be

thankful that they learned it. For example, having previously studied New Orleans Mardi Gras in

this course, I decided to attend a play at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago (while on a business

trip) called Airline Highway by Lisa D’Amour, in order to not only see a play prior to its

Broadway transfer (featuring a former colleague in the ensemble), but to also put to the test the

information I’d learned in this class. The play is set at a motel on Airline Highway, a popular

highway in New Orleans, and surrounds itself in a “living funeral” for one of the hotel’s long-

term patrons. Act Two features the funeral in its entirety; sure enough, bright colors, beads,

parading, little umbrellas/parasols being waved around were all a part of the action, and I was

very glad to have known it prior to attending the performance; the amount of detail and research

the playwright went into in order to capture that facet of the culture was incredible. From this

example, I propose that the study of carnival and Carnivalesque topics becomes important by the

historical and cultural traditions presented within the events of a particular cultures’ festivity

season, as well as by showing the unification of a particular cultures genders, sexualities, and

races.

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In the Burke chapter discussed in class, he delves into the notion that “everyday life in

early modern Europe was filled with rituals” (Burke 180) which are a large facet of carnival

activity. Looking deeper into his writings, we can see and connect how various historical events

and stories have informed and shaped how modern day carnivals are presented within a given

culture; these are also things that we’ve seen in classroom videos as well, and these rituals and

their history become an important factor into why carnival is studied and practiced, as well as its

preservation. For example, the concept of Halloween divulges itself from the concept of

“mumming”, where people go door to door and asked/demand something good for dressing up

for the house. This tradition, traditionally found in northern European countries such as Sweden

and Ireland, made its way into the United States sometime during the 1800s, and morphed into

what we now knows as Halloween. Even still, upon Googling the term “mummers”, I found via

Wikipedia that there is a traditional Mummer Parade held every New Year’s Day in

Philadelphia, PA; understanding the contexts of the original intention of the celebration then

makes it new-aged tradition seem so much more special, as a participant is then becoming part of

something historical. It also allows participants to preserve older traditions for more time, in

hopes that it will continuously be passed on through time.

Another concept that we’ve taken an important look at in Carnivalesque culture is the

equalizing and unification of a varying community. As we constantly see and are told within

classroom discussions, carnival can be best described as “the world turned upside down”, which

also includes the reversal of socioeconomic status; this was, historically, a large factor into why

people behaved in Carnivalesque ways. Regardless of sexual orientation, gender, or class, people

would all come together to mock (playfully) the wealthy people and to celebrate their one day

where they could behave “without restrictions”. Today, this concept has gone even further:

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cross-dressing among heterosexuals has become acceptable and a norm within carnival; men,

women, and children all partaking in a particular event is seen a alright, and so on. This concept

of reversal and making the oddities the “norm” is exciting, as it means that humans are one step

closer into accepting all walks of life into one community. For instance, if on one day of the

year, it can be acceptable for a man to walk around in women’s clothes for a celebration of life,

why can’t it be acceptable every single day if that man happens to be transgendered? Why does it

matter now if it doesn’t in a different context?

Historical lessons and human equality play large factors into why the study of carnival

and Carnivalesque themes are still studied today. They remind us that expressing human

sentiments, emotions, and feelings don’t have to happen on just one day or within one period of

time each year; they should be expressed every day. Similar to the stereotype that New Orleans

is a strictly party city, and that they act like it is Mardi Gras all year round, why can’t every city

with a particular festival have that reputation as well? Or why can’t these principles be practiced

all year round? Humanization and the history of its expression remain the highlight of

Carnivalesque activity, and it will forever remain this way until the end of time.

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Works Cited

Burke, Peter. Popular Culture in Early Modern Europe. MPG Books, Ltd. Great Britain, 2009.

PDF. Pages 178-204